Rise Fanfic - Blog Posts

Yooo, your Prolonged Agony fic is painful to my emotions! :0 It is good drama, tasty like a well made cake. But I gotta ask somethin'. Why don't the bros just, like, toss Leo stuff through the portals? Like, new wraps and what not?

I'm so glad your enjoying my fic! And thank you for asking, it is a really interesting question, my answer is going to be a bit long I'm afraid.

To answer your question: I think the boys are far too desperate about getting Leo back to even think about anything else. For one, they forgot to tell April and Casey about their attempts to save Leo; they could've gone to Draxum for help—this is something Mikey especially could've done. And they also could've actually tried to go in themselves to reach him that way.

These are all things I deliberately missed out because I think when you're scared, in pain and still healing yourself, and feel you have only one tiny hint of hope of getting someone you love back, all you do is focus on that one thing. In this case, pulling Leo out through Mikey's portals is their one hope, so they're fixated on that alone and are not thinking about anything else.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't read the fic.

In portal 1 and 2- they only just got away from the fight themselves, didn't have supplies, and also didn't even consider that it would fail.

Portal 3- Mikey was by himself and wasn't thinking much at all apart from getting Leo out.

Protal 4- Failed.

Portal 5- At this point, if they started to actually formulate proper plans—like providing medical supplies and food etc—to them it would've felt like they were kinda giving up on getting Leo out of the a Prison Dimension. That they were going to make his life there comfortable instead of saving him from being there. They want him out ASAP, so actually helping in other ways would've felt like thay were stalling because they couldn't save him.

Portal 6- Traumatised after last portal. Plus it wasn't a planed portal, Mikey and Donnie were just worried about Leo and just wanted to see him, to make sure he was still alive.

Portal 7+- We'll see. (Chapters are already written and waiting to be posted.)

So yeah, stress, worry, desperation and trauma are all playing their part at stopping the boys from thinking straight. Does that make sense?

Prolonged Agony

Chapter 6

End of movie... or at least it should've been.

The Krang successfully grabbed Leo's leg and pulled him back into the Prison Dimension. When, unable to keep it open, the portal closes, locking Leo in the void with the most malicious creature he's ever met.

Now its a race against time to bring Leo home. But with each attempt they see Leo deteriorate... and Mikey starts to question whether or not Leo should be allowed out of the Prison Dimension at all.

I actually made some art for this chapter. I'm pretty thrilled how it turned out but I will warn you, the lower images do show explicit injury.

Prolonged Agony

Chapter 4 is now up!

End of the movie… or at least it should've been.

The Krang successfully grabbed Leo's leg and pulled him back into the prison dimension. When, unable to keep it open, the portal closes. Locking him in the void with the most malicious creature he's ever met.

Now it's a race against time to bring Leo home. But with each attempt they see Leo deteriorate… and Mikey starts to question whether or not Leo should be allowed out of the prison dimension at all.

ROTTMNT: SPIRITS WITHIN THE WEAPONS

Masterpost

That's not usual.

Plot: Oda is up alone while everyone is sleeping when Leonardo does something unusual. 

Genre: Fluff/Slight Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Bittersweet, Family-Feels, Original Character, AU/Cannon Compliant

Notes: This was meant to be a much shorter fluff drabble, but it ended up being over 2,000 words. Oh well, this is my first short fic for Spirits Within The Weapons (SWTW). I'm not planning on writing a full fic for SWTW but I am hoping to write quite a few drabble pieces like this. 

I hope you enjoy reading. 

Oda lifted the Odachi in front of his eyes, admiring the sharp blade glistening under the pale blue glow of his ghostly form. Then he frowned. It wasn't perfect. It could still be sharper. He lowered the sword down again and started meticulously running it along the whetstone. Slow, precise, skilful. He repeated this calming action a few more times before lifting the blade to examine it again. His focused expression lifted into a pleased slim grin. It was sharpened to perfection. There wasn't anything this Odachi couldn't cut now. 

If only he could rely on the weapon's wielder to care for the blade himself. But then again, it was Oda's obsessive need to not see the weapon go blunt that made young Leonardo take for granted the need to sharpen it himself. Instead, the turtle found it magically sharpened the next day and never questioned it. In other words, Oda had spoiled Leonardo. He'll probably regret that in the future. But for now, sharpening the Odachi was his favorite pastime while all the others slept. 

Each of the young turtles had turned in for the night, having had a very exciting day of chasing down a magician hippo and the self-imposed "greatest foe of the teenage mutant loser turtles"… a talking worm. Warren Stone and Hypno-Potamus. Warren Stone and Hypno-Potamus. He mustn't take on the habits of the youngsters to forget the names of those that pose a danger—however slim that danger may be— to innocent civilians. Oda was wiser, nobler and more honorable than that to forget anyone's names. Though he will excuse the young turtles for doing so, they were still children after all. 

Fundi on the other hand had no excuse. The spirit occupying the Kusari-Fundo may look and act young, but Oda knew that he was ancient one way or another. He may not have lived long on earth (Oda finds that Fundi turns into a mindset of a young child when he's caught in a flashback of old, old memories), but he has been a spirit for too long not to have matured during that time. Tonfa seems to encourage Fundi's youthfulness though. And Oda doesn't like to disagree with the Tonfas inhibitor. Not because he's currently the size of a huge half-alligator-snapping-turtle-half-human mutant, but because Tonfa has done a lot to help Fundi deal with his flashback episodes. Tonfa knows Fundi. Oda knows Tonfa. And so Oda will trust Tonfa when he says to leave the fiery spirit to live a youthful lifestyle. But that also means Tonfa cannot complain when Oda repremans Fundi for his sometimes too destructive behavior. 

Thankfully both spirits were in a sleep-like state. Being that the spirits don't actually sleep, the closest they can get to such an act is to withdraw back into their weapons and enter a space only the individual can access. Like an inner mind or a dreamscape. It's restful in itself. Peaceful and safe. And it also leaves Oda time alone to mediate, practice his sword-skills and sharpen the blade of the Odachi. 

He was blissfully alone. 

In the rarely silent lair. 

Peaceful.

Relaxing.

Still.

Footsteps.

…?

Footsteps?

Oda turned to look where the soft sounds of footsteps where coming from. If it had been anyone else they probably wouldn't have noticed the slowly approaching sound and could've been unaware of an impending attack. But this was Oda. Oda had honed all his senses to an impeccable level. Oda had also memorized the sounds and scents of all four turtles, their rat-man father and their human friend. 

So even before the culprit behind the footsteps was within sight, Oda knew who it was.

Leonardo plodded into the kitchen unknowingly passing Oda on the way. Usually Oda would've moved fast to put the Odachi back where Leonardo last left it, however, right now he knew there was no need for such haste. The huge black bags under the teenagers eyes, the slump in his shoulders, endless yawning, and defeated aura told Oda all he needed to know. Leonardo's insomnia had gotten the better of him tonight. 

"Oh Leonardo" 

Oda followed his wielder to the kitchen, sitting himself on a stool with his fingers fidgeting restlessly on the table. What he would do to be able to—no, thinking about such wasn't helpful to anyone. He couldn't communicate with nor touch the young turtles in any way, so wishing so would be meaningless. If he so wanted to he could dwell on such later, after Leonardo was better. Leonardo takes priority now. Not that there was anything he could do. 

Although…. He could pick up the Odachi and wave it around to make his presence known. Leonardo would be able to see the weapon flying around the air by itself… and then would probably scream. Oda would effectively be making the child believe he was seeing things in his sleepless state. Frightening the poor thing to death. Then, even if the others did believe Leonardo about a floating Odachi, or even if Oda shows the others by making it float in front of them too, ghost hunters would be called. Donatello would be making anti-spirits weapons. Panic. Fear. More sleepless nights. Oda wouldn't be helping anyone that way. Plus it'll be a terrible first introduction. 

He was overthinking it.

He needed to meditate. 

Clear his head. 

But first Leonardo. 

Usually Leonardo would make himself a cup of tea and either carry it into Donatello's lab to sit and watch his twin work, or sit at the kitchen table drinking it idly and then wander into either Raphael's or Michaelangelo's room and sleep there. Curiously though, tonight, Leonardo decided to make himself a coffee. That's not usual. Then the young turtle stumbled with the hot mug into the living quarters, flicking on the projector to an old Jupiter Jim flick they've all watched a zillion times on an almost silent volume, and slouched comfortably into one of the well-used beanbags. Next, he slipped off his blue mask and sipped the hot coffee, mindless of what was on the screen. Very unusual. 

Oda stood behind Leonardo, one eyeridge raised suspiciously, pondering over what this unusual action meant. Steady a saddened frown formed on his features as he slowly figured out what was going on with his wielder. 

Leonardo was determined not to go back to sleep. Coffee and a film to stay awake instead of tea and the comfort of his brothers to fall asleep. This wasn't just insomnia. This was nightmares. 

Oda knew all too well how disorienting, unnerving and isolating nightmares can be. He couldn't blame the youngster for not wanting to close his eyes for the rest of the night. But to not go to his brothers… that was unusual.

He flicked his gaze over the clock on the wall. The others won't be up for many hours. He knew Leonardo knew this and yet the turtle made no move to wake anyone up. The nightmare must've been about his brothers in some way. The fear of losing them by his mistakes? Of them hating him? Abandonment? Hurt? Guilt? The list was endless. Obviously, Leonardo didn't want his brothers to know about his nightmares. Not yet anyway. That was concerning. 

What could Oda do to help though?

He was an unseeable, untouchable spirit. 

He was…

No, he wasn't useless.

For sure Leonardo would've been much more hurt—or worse— if Oda hadn't been watching his back. 

But right now, while the child was scared and alone, Oda felt useless. 

He settles on sitting on the beanbag next to the young turtle, keeping an eye on him like he always did. Maybe in the still of the lair Leonardo would sense his presence… wishful thinking. 

It was rare for all four brothers to be asleep at the same time. Leonardo usually did stay awake late before going to bed, and, with the help of a few useful methods, his insomnia wasn't as big a problem as it could be. He had plenty of restless nights, sure, he'd gone three days without sleep at one point—Oda would've strangled the young turtle during those nights if he could, or maybe just hug him— but with tea, help from his brothers and ASMR, he had learned ways to overcome a fair few of his restless nights. 

Donatello was the other with sleeping problems. Honestly, if it wasn't for how similar the two can be despite their countless differences, Oda would never have pointed them out as twins. But at least with Donatello it wasn't insomnia keeping him awake. No, it was hyperfixation. His machines. Computers. Ideas. Designs. Plans. Games even. Once the purple-turtle got fixated on something, that was it. Hooked… for days… and nights. Unhealthy so. Okay, so maybe Donatello was worse than Leonardo on that front. At least Leonardo wasn't the one keeping himself awake, his insomnia did that to him. Donatello just didn't want to sleep when something else seemed so much more appealing. 

Miraculously though, Donatello was too knackered to stay awake any longer and welcomed sleep with ease. Wrapped up in an extra soft, weighted blanket. Probably still snoring lightly since the last time Oda did his usual night checks on them all. That's one less person for Oda to think about at least. 

Raphael and Michelangelo were easy when it came to sleep. The pair were diligent in keeping a healthy sleep schedule. They knew the value and importance of sleep, and even if they struggled on some occasions to get to sleep, or nightmares woke them up, they gave themselves a nice breather before trying again. Which usually worked a treat. And if it didn't work, snuggling up with one or more of their siblings always worked.  

So only two out of four were a handful when it came to bedtime. That's not too bad. It could be worse. 

It was worse for Leonardo right now though. 

Hours pass by. Three Jupiter Jim and one Lou Jitsu film later, three cups of coffee, (which is a alot coming from someone who typically did not enjoy coffee much), and half a tub of neapolitan ice cream later and Leonardo was still alone. His brothers will wake up soon enough, but the lair was still deafeningly quiet. At least that's what Leonardo knew.

In reality, halfway through the second film, Fundi and Tonfa woke up. Fundi, determined to get up to his same old antics to annoy Oda, stormed in loudly with a mischievous fire in his eyes. However, the fire quickly dimmed when he spotted Leonardo sitting solely on the beanbag inches away from the huge screen. Oda shushed him and Fundi smirked. 

"It's not like he can hear me, y'know." The Michelangelo look-alike said playfully. 

"Insomnia?" Tonfa mused as he ignored Fundi to sit on a beanbag on the other side of Leonardo. "Wait, no…. Nightmares." He whispered and he hunched up his shoulders. Tonfa may not have any memories before being a spirit, and spirits can't get nightmares, so he doesn't know what nightmares feel like, but he has seen the effects on the brothers. He hates seeing anyone in such pain and torment. It honestly breaks Tonfa's heart to see such a fun-loving, boisterous teenager suffering like this. 

Oda knew the feeling. 

If they could, Oda knows Fundi and Tonfa would've stopped at nothing to help Leonardo, but they couldn't. So they sat with the lonesome teenager hoping he would somehow feel their presence and be somewhat comforted while they all waited for the others to wake up. 

It's the quietest Fundi has been in… years? Decades? Ever? Sadly, this time, quiet wasn't what was needed. 

Not long later, Michelangelo woke up to start breakfast and Leonardo wasted no time barging after the orange brother while tying his mask back on. With his usual playful tone, he bombarded the youngest with a request for pancakes and fruit for breakfast. Oda spotted the quick glance Michelangelo gave Leonardo, head to foot, knowing the observant orange turtle was piecing together what had happened during the night. His eyes flicked to the coffee jar Leonardo had accidently left open on the side. The bags under his eyes. The credits from a film on the big screen.

Michelangelo didn't hesitate to make the pancakes and slice up the fruit. 

Raphael joined not long later and caught on just as quickly. He gave Leonardo the mission to drag Donatello from bed, which he completed quickly by dragging his twin and half the bed sheets into the kitchen moments later. Their father walked in not long after. 

The spirits also joined them in the kitchen for breakfast, just as they usually did. Fundi sat like a cat on top of the kitchen counters—despite how many times Oda has told him not to. Tonfa leaned against the side of the fridge, as far out of the way as he could. And Oda stood in the doorway, watching with a small almost unnoticeable smile as the four brothers and their father chatted away. There was still one of them missing, but that's a problem for another day. 

As he watched, all Oda could think about was that, even if he couldn't do anything to help Leonardo himself, he's thankful that Leonardo had brothers who do care about him. Who notice such small things in him. Who will give Leonardo time before asking questions. And will be patient and understanding when he does talk. 

"He's in good hands," Oda muttered to himself. He choked back a chuckle as the blue-clad turtle flung his pancake like a Frisby at the still half-asleep Donatello only to miss and quickly find a few slices of banana slap him on the face in retaliation. "Back to the usual."

~End~

How am I supposed to explain this word to my writing software lol

Chapter 6 of The Crescent’s Ascent is out!! Yay!! Please enjoy more concept art, more is probably coming soon lol

In case you haven’t yet, you can read the fic 👉 here 👈

Chapter 3 of the Crescent’s Ascent is out 👀

I have this weird contradiction where I love Leo sm but also love to torture him in fanfiction hehe 😅

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63911992/chapters/163921498

The Crescent’s Ascent

Chapter 1: Normal (not)

Leo stared at his reflection in the mirror, his eyes weary and tired.

Pathetic.

He offers himself a cocky grin and winks, firing off playful finger guns.

“How we doing, mi hermanos?” he practices softly. “Say, wanna drop by Hueso’s later?”

He holds the facade for another moment before groaning and letting his face fall. He grips the edges of the sink so tightly that his knuckles turn white.

“Get it together, Leo.” He chides himself. “You’re the face man, so fix your face!”

He straightens his shoulders and tries out another smirk, eyeing the tenseness in the rest of his body. Using the mirror as a guide he shifts his weight comfortably to the side, unclenching his jaw and cocking his head.

Better, definitely better.

A perfect facade if not for his guarded eyes.

He grumbles and leans closer to the mirror, bracing his trembling hands on the sink. When had his eyes lost their sparkle? When had his vibrant personality gone so… numb?

It didn’t matter anyways, he had plenty practice putting on a show. He would just shove away his emotions and portray whatever the situation called for:

Raph typically needed him to act a bit more chill, to be continually at ease and level-headed, a plan and a quip ready for any situation.

Sweet Mikey needed a playful big brother, someone he could goof off with and talk to without fear of judgement. Leo was always there for his little bro, whether it be admiring his art or comforting him while he cried, the tender-hearted little turtle (er, big turtle).

Donnie just needed someone to give him company and keep the mood lively. He didn’t really show emotions and would rather die than admit he needed affection, but on the inside he could get overwhelmed and panicky when left alone for too long. He was also quiet, which allowed him to be productive at times but also allowed him to get trapped in his head. Leo know how to fix that, and knew that although his excellent puns could occasionally annoy his twin they also helped him remain level-headed. A wall to bounce his ideas off of.

Mash all of those expectations together and you get one Hamato Leonardo, the witty and hilarious face-man of the Mad Dogs.

Not the weak and trembling turtle staring at him in the mirror.

“Come on!” He growls at his reflection, “Why is this so hard?”

“Leo?” A quick knock at the door made Leo jump. Mikey’s chipper voice came to him again from the other side: “You almost done, bro? We’re gonna go on patrol, then Raph said we could stop by Hueso’s for pizza!”

Leo took a deep breath, ignoring the tightness in his chest. Knowing his expression would affect his voice he forced a smile. “Yeah, sounds great Mike! Be out in a few!”

“You sure you’re good? You’ve already been in there for a bit.”

“You think looks this good come at the snap of your fingers?” He joked back, and he heard Mikey snort.

“Yeah, yeah. See you in a few, then.”

“Yep! See ya bro!” Leo’s whole body sagged with relief at the sound of Mikey’s footsteps fading. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself. It was just a quick patrol, then pizza. Normal Leo would be all over this. Well, maybe not patrol, but a jaunt through NYC with his brothers? Maybe a race with Mikey, some banter with Donnie and a pizza-eating challenge with Raph? He should be thrilled!

His chest tightened again. But it would only take one misstep, he thought. One little fumble and all hell might break loose. Or worse, a Prison Dimension…

All because of one little failed catch…

Leo hissed and covered his head with his hands, trying to steady his breathing. It was okay, everything was okay. He was okay too. He just needed to keep on his toes and be perfect or at least not the screw-up he knew he was…

He could do that, couldn’t he?

And even if he did slip up, his brothers were there to catch him.

Duh.

Always.

Then why did it feel like someone the Kraang had his lungs in a death grip?

He huffed and shook his head to clear it. Alright Leon, showtime, he told himself, getting up from the bathroom floor (when did he get on the floor?). He put a grin on his face and walked out of the bathroom with ease.

I’m cool, I'm cooler than a cucumber, he encouraged himself as he rested one of his odachi across his shoulders. “Sup, mi hermanos. Your Face Man has arrived.”

There was a general groan from his three brothers, causing him to smirk. Operation Set-The-Mood: success.

“You’re late, ‘Nardo.” Donnie grumbled, tapping on his wrist tech.

Leo switches position, bracing the tip of his odachi against the floor to lean on it. “Excuse me, but a king is never late. Everyone else is simply… early.”

“First off, you should give up on that ‘King Leo’ idea. Never gonna happen. Secondly, you stole that from Princess Diaries.” Donnie replied in his usual deadpan voice.

“Hey, if the shoe fits!” Leo shrugged at the jab to his movie-reference. “But anyways, are you gonna stare at your tech all day or are we all gonna go out and have some fun?”

Donnie started to retort on his Cinderella reference, but Raph cut in before he could.

“Patrol first, then fun.” The snapper reminded, standing up and stretching.

“Aw, who says patrol can’t be fun?” Leo whined playfully, stomach twisting into knots.

“Come on, Leo. We gotta focus. We’re heroes!”

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to do an IOU on that pizza bite.” Leo joked. “But in the meantime, vamanos hermanos!”

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of The Crescent’s Ascent! The fic on AO3 as well as more chapters can be found here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63911992/chapters/163921498

The Crescent’s Ascent

Hey all! Started a new rise fanfiction over on AO3 if you wanna check it out! Get ready for a crazy ride folks, we’ve got some Leo angst, protective siblings, identity crises, Senor Hueso being a father figure to Leo and Big Mama being extremely punchable! To quote Donnie: “Hold on to your gluteus maximi!”

If you can’t tell I’m really excited about this fic, and I hope y’all enjoy it!

Also apologies for such a simple poster, might do a cooler one later lol :)

The link for the fic:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63911992/chapters/163921498